Category Archives: Names and Surnames

I was surprised to discover a reference to the surname Christmas in Ireland while searching the early Grantor Indexes in the Registry of Deeds in Dublin, and decided to do a little digging.Origins of the Surname ChristmasThe general consensus from various surname dictionaries is that the name originated as a birth forename for someone born at Christmas,

The National Archives of Ireland, in partnership with the Genealogical Society of Utah, published a database of the Tithe Applotment Books online on their Genealogy Website. The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) have also released images of the Tithe Applotment Books for Northern Ireland on their website. Find out more about access

A collection of the Genealogical Office volumes of Betham’s Will Abstracts have been published online by the National Library of Ireland. Betham’s Will Abstracts are abstracts of wills proved in the Prerogative Court, records which were largely destroyed in 1922. Prerogative Court Before the establishment of the Probate Court in 1857, the Church

Detective work can sometimes be one of the most appealing aspects of Irish genealogy. If you are lucky enough to find old family letters sent from Ireland to emigrant siblings, children, cousins or neighbours, it might be time to put your detective hat on. Old family letters can contain all sorts of clues that could identify your family origins in Ireland.

During a recent search for a Maher family I once again stumbled into the mire of difficulty created by the spelling of Irish surnames in 19th century records. This is an obstacle that many Irish family history researchers will encounter during the course of their research. Mass digitization of Irish records has made the issue of the spelling of

In the most recent episode of Who Do You Think You Are? US Bryan Cranston, star of the TV shows Breaking Bad and Malcolm in the Middle, traced his Cranston ancestry back through American and Canadian records to his great great grandparents, Joseph Cranston and Sarah McLeod. Bryan Cranston’s Irish OriginsDuring the course of his search, Bryan discovered

The Ordnance Survey of Ireland, conducted between 1824 and 1846, is the only survey of Ireland to have ever been conclusively finished. Under the direction of Thomas Larcom, the Master-General of the Ordnance Survey and the Board of Ordnance, a complete Map of Ireland at the scale of six-inches to one-mile was published. One of the most important